Auchenstroan Coloured Ryelands
We are Adrian and Nicole Doyle and this is our web site where we show our life on our small holding and showcase the products that we sell.
We are delighted to offer a range of handmade felted fleece rugs, also known as “vegetarian sheepskin rugs”, and handmade felted fleece cushions. These are made from the wool (not the sheepskin) from our own sheep and no animal is harmed in the process. You can buy them from our shop, please have a look.
We have also just published Adrian’s book on smallholding life which you can buy in our shop (paperback – UK only) or via Amazon (paperback and ebook).
Latest Stories from Auchenstroan
Summer Hedgehog Rescue
Last autumn, I found a small hedgehog which we overwintered (see Hoggy Released). This can happen a lot, late litters mean they just don't have time to put on enough
swallows’ extension
A while back I posted an update on the nesting birds we have here. One of the swallows' nests is in our lambing shed and it was looking pretty crowded.
Shearing at long last!
This story is a bit late, I meant to post it last week but everything to do with shearing this year has been delayed so it’s no wonder my little
Vera gets a touch of the itchies again
Last summer Vera developed an allergy which made her skin very itchy. See “Vera gets a touch of the Itchies”. It was worse in bright sunshine and the vet thought
Practical pantry at last
Most of the stories on this blog relate to the stuff we do outdoors. However, we have slowly been doing work inside the house too. Carpets have been replaced with
Another shed
One of the things that has been a problem for us is that we don't really have anywhere to put our garden tools and associated paraphernalia. We have flowerpots in
Nesting Birds
We are lucky to have swallows and housemartins as regular visitors. The swallows nest in various sheds and the housemartins on the house under the guttering. They are not the
Taking Back Control
Last year's veggie growing didn't go well. What with constant rain, little sun and an army of slugs and snails, we did not get much of a harvest. This year,
Clever Sheep
Hi there, it’s me Ymogen! It’s been a while since I logged on but recently my pet human took a short video of me demonstrating my intelligence so I thought
New rainwater harvesting system installed
As well as making sure we have enough water for our animals, we also need water for our vegetables. This year, we have had to water seedlings and pots every
The Adventures of the Yogi Rug
Recently a lovely lady in faraway Georgia, USA bought “the Yogi rug” from our online shop. I was excited because it’s always a bit extra special when a person from
Compost Shuffle
Part of the sustainable living ethos is re-using stuff. We generate a lot of garden waste and this all goes into a large compost bin. Of course, over time, it
Reviews
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This is the highest quality sheepskin I’ve ever seen. It’s a work of art, and we’re proud to have it in our home. I’m overjoyed to have finally found a beautiful cruelty-free option. Big thanks to you and the sheep, who are very cute.
Bought for my vegetarian daughter’s birthday. It’s just beautiful. Much lighter weight than a skin so when the box arrived we thought it must be tiny. It was delightful opening up the packaging for the big reveal. You could tell a lot of care had been taken parcelling it up so it up.
I was looking for an ethical “sheep skin” rug and happily found Nicole and Adrian’s website. Nicole chose for us a beautiful fleece from her sheep which went into the production of our first rug. My family loves it, including the little touches that came with our package too. Nicole and Adrian are wonderful and they put love and care into everything they do. Thank you for this very special rug, we will cherish for many years to come!
I had been looking for a felted sheepskin cushion to go in a little reading nook I’ve set up. I saw a few online but the Auchenstroan cushions looked the best of what I saw. The cushion is indeed lovely, warm and cuddly, well made and has a wonderful scent of cedarwood.
Full of facts and figures, this book is what you need if you are seriously considering setting up a smallholding. Adrian doesn’t hold back with the reality of both the financial and emotional investment you will need to be a smallholder. It is refreshing to read about the mistakes made and occasional animal lost. I highly recommend this book.
